Cruise and Ferry Review - Summer/Spring 2020

1 7 0 INTERV IEW Solving the carbon conundrum MSC Cruises is exploring a range of solutions when it comes to reducing its carbon footprint. Bud Darr tells Susan Parker about the brand’s innovative approach M SC Cruises is wasting no time in “looking at all sorts of options and a whole range of ship types” when it comes to carbon reduction and zero-carbon ship design, says Bud Darr, executive vice president of maritime policy and government affairs at MSC Group. Owning a fleet of both cargo and cruise ships gives the company unique scope to test various solutions and share its experiences. For example, biofuel from waste cooking oil is currently being used for bunkering its cargo vessels calling in Rotterdam, Netherlands. “While there are some technical implications, we are comfortable with a 30% blend,” says Darr. “We are rather confident that we have trialled this successfully, so we can take it to the next step.” Although MSC Group’s next step may not be to use biofuel in its cruise ships, the fuel is certainly part of the overall cruise conversation, which also highlights LNG “as a powerful tool in the arsenal”. “It is a mistake to say that we need to look for one solution; it will take a combination of things,” says Darr. “The greatest promise is with solutions where we can take the existing designs built with some future proofing and use a drop-in fuel. For example, in the case of our first LNG newbuild, MSC Europa, this could mean using drop-in biomethane or synthetic LNG.” Darr adds: “We’re also designing our future ships with the potential for adding batteries later. We intend to accommodate that as part of the mix in future deliveries as it becomes more viable.” “We have to start seeing zero-carbon ships very soon”